"Me and Gary get on so well offstage and he's a really, really great guy and I've got a lot of respect for him," Clark commented. "I'm just glad I went out on a high and he was truthful about his loving feelings for me.

"[The rows are] all part of the fun of the show and at the end of the day Gary is doing his job and I was doing mine. It's been an absolute pleasure to work with the guy and hopefully I'll get to work with him in the future."

Clark went on to praise his "crazy" mentor and "friend for life" Nicole Scherzinger, suggesting that he had put a spark into the Pussycat Doll.

"I think I brought that fun side out in Nic that everyone needed to see," he said.

"I think at Boot Camp everyone was a bit like, 'Is she gonna do well at this, is it gonna be a Kelly Rowland sitch?' But I think me being there gave her [a reason] to jump up on the judges' table... I hope to God she comes back next year."

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Clark also refused to comment on his reported rivalry with Christopher Maloney, saying: "I've not come on this show to talk about other people and what goes on backstage. I want to be remembered for exactly what I was."

Admitting that he couldn't wait "to start miming", Clark said of his future career plans: "Now I can do music on my terms, the songs I wanna do.

"I'll definitely have something out soon hopefully and if people like it, fantastic. If not, and TV's an option for me, I'd jump at the opportunity... Me and Nic, if we get a show, Jesus Christ, God help the country, that's all I'm saying."